Gold mining town hopes for new golden age when Gout Gout runs

Schoolboy sprint star Gout Gout wants to win Australia’s richest footrace: the Stawell Gift*.

The hottest property in Australian sport will travel to country Victoria over Easter to compete in the famous 120m sprint, delivering a much-needed boost to the historic event.

Gout, who turned 17 in December, is set to race four times over the Australian season – at the Queensland state titles, the Maurie Plant meet in Melbourne on March 29, the Australian Championships in Perth, then on grass in Stawell on Easter Monday.

Given his national 200m record and 10.04sec 100m performance, the Queensland teenager will be running off the scratch mark*, which history shows is almost impossible.

Only two runners in the history of the Stawell Gift – which was first run back in 1878 – have won from scratch: Madagascar’s Jean-Louis Ravelomanantsoa* and Athens Olympian Joshua Ross* in 2005.

The winners of the men’s and women’s Gift each receive $40,000 in prize money.

Gout’s agent James Templeton said the chance to make history appealed to the teen.

“He will come off the nationals, go to Stawell and have a bit of fun,” Mr Templeton said.

“They train on grass at Ipswich Grammar; obviously it will be a little bit different as he hasn’t run professionally in spikes* but he will have a crack.

“The 120 (metres) should be a good distance for him, given the way he runs the last 40m (of his races). He will be mowing them down.”

Organisers expect Gout’s presence at Stawell will create hype similar to when former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell* (2013) and world champion Kim Collins* (2011) competed.

Australian Olympic legend Cathy Freeman* provided one of the most memorable moments in the carnival’s history but not in the Gift. The Sydney Olympics champion won the 400m race in 1996, chasing down the field which had started 50m ahead of her to get up by a whisker on the line.

Gout, who is currently doing Year 12, has just returned from a two-week training camp in Florida where he worked out with 100m and 200m world champion Noah Lyles.

He was also a guest on Lyles’ Beyond the Records podcast where he declared he was ready to chase down the reigning champion at this year’s world championships in Tokyo.

“I am trying to show you what’s up. I am trying to come out with a bang,” Gout said.

“That’s what I love to hear,” Lyles laughed.

Gout then said: “Whatever I’ve got to do to show Noah I am coming for that spot (I will do).

“Obviously, it’s a learning experience but deep down, I’m trying to get a medal for sure, or even make that final and be running up Noah or trying to chase Noah down for sure.”

Gout will make his senior debut in the 200m in Tokyo – the event which Lyles has won at the past three world championships.

“I want you to come up to me and say, ‘I’m going to take your spot’,” Lyles said.

“Because if I hear someone say maybe one day, no, it’s not one day, it is going to be today - if not that day, then the next day, and I’ll be here every step of the way.

“C’mon don’t be scared to tell me your dreams, shout them from the top of the mountain. Come after me.”

Gout, who turned 17 just after Christmas, signed a massive sponsorship* deal with Adidas last year just before he broke the Australian national 200m record (20.04sec), which had been owned by Peter Norman since the 1968 Mexico Olympics.

WATCH GOUT GOUT BREAK THE MEN’S 200M RECORD

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GLOSSARY

• Stawell Gift: a historic gold mining town, Stawell is the closest major commercial centre to the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park, located 237km from Melbourne
• scratch mark: competing without a head start or some other advantage
• Jean-Louis Ravelomanantsoa: the first athlete to win the Gift without a handicap, which he did in 1975, “Ravelo” was a 100m specialist (30 March 1943 – 27 September 2016)
• Joshua Ross: one of Australia’s fastest sprinters of all time, Ross is known as the fastest Australian over 100m on home soil thanks to a personal best of 10.08 (born 9 February 1981)
• spikes: shoes with metal projections on the sole and heel for greater traction, as used by athletes
• Asafa Powell: retired Jamaican sprint who specialised in the 100m (born 23 November 1982)
• Kim Collins: former Kittitian track and field sprinter who became 100m world champion in 2003 (born 5 April 1976)
• Cathy Freeman: Catherine Freeman OAM is an Indigenous Australian Olympian who won gold in the women’s 400m at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 with the hopes of the nation at her heels (born 16 February 1973)
• sponsorship: giving money or support to someone or something for a specific reason, commonly including promoting the association between both parties

EXTRA READING

Aussie teen smashes sprint record

Teen’s sprint ends 24-year Olympic drought

Aussie steals NZ multisport crown

QUICK QUIZ

1. What distance is the Stawell Gift sprint?
2. How much will Gout earn if he wins?
3. How many times has the Gift been won without a handicap (scratch mark)?
4. What is US sprint champion Noah Lyles’ podcast called?
5. At which coming event is Gout hoping to chase down Lyles to steal his crown?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Is it fair?

Do you think it is fair that runners like Gout Gout have to start “from scratch”? Write an explanation of your opinion on this question.

Time: allow at least 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education

2. Extension
Read what Noah Lyles said to Gout Gout. Why do you think he said that? Write down your ideas.

Time: allow at least 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read with Kung Fu punctuation
Pair up with the article between you and stand up to make it easy to demonstrate your Kung Fu punctuation.

Practise reading one sentence at a time. Now read it again, while acting out the punctuation as you read.

Read and act three sentences before swapping with your partner.

Take two turns each.

Now ask your partner to read a sentence out loud while you try and act out the punctuation. Can you keep up? Swap over?

Try acting out two sentences – are you laughing yet?